As I ran across New Mexico (literally) in August, I thought about the marathon I once completed near the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. It was called the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon, and we trudged across the White Sands Missile Range. Finishing that marathon, commemorating such horror, amidst such beauty, shaking survivors’ hands was incredibly humbling.

I continue to be humbled every day, as I continue my epic run from the West Coast to the East Coast. I am able to put one running shoe in front of the other thanks to the support I have received from military families, both along the trail this summer and during my time as a leader overseas in the U.S. Marine Corps.

My military service took me around the world, to some of the most beautiful -- and ugliest -- places on earth. No country has ever captured awe and majesty like the United States. As such, I am currently closing out my active duty career by crossing the U.S. on foot, taking in (slowly) the magnificence of our public lands.

Public lands democratize our country. They tell our citizens that the beauty and awe of nature, our land, is open to them and protected by their government.

Or so we thought they were protected.

Past presidents have used their authority to protect our American heritage through the use of the Antiquities Act. Presidents on both sides of the political aisle have designated national monuments to help preserve our nation’s legacy so that future generations would be able to enjoy and bear witness to our country’s history and majesty. They did this with the idea that the monuments they established would be permanent.

Unfortunately, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has recommended that President Trump remove protections for national monuments created by Democratic and Republican presidents alike. I fail to see the wisdom or logic in this recommendation.

Before the Bataan Marathon, I had a chance to escape into New Mexico’s Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. Little did I realize that years later, that very special heritage area would be at risk of losing its protections.

Secretary Zinke is calling on President Trump to allow mining and drilling in the monument’s protected areas. Further, there is a very real chance that this national monument will lose some of its acreage altogether.

Also on Secretary Zinke’s hit list in New Mexico is the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. There too we will see development in protected areas if President Trump heeds the secretary’s unsound advice.

As I transition into my role with the Reserves and out of active duty, I feel fortunate to have more time to visit our national monuments and other public lands. Vast public lands and expansive spaces like those I have covered this summer humble us, and restore us.

For good reason, I am disheartened by Secretary Zinke’s recommendations for the future of our public lands. Hopefully President Trump will disregard those recommendations and leave protections for our nation’s public lands and outdoor heritage intact.

Maggie Seymour is a U.S. Marine Corps captain transitioning to the Reserves who is also an avid ultra-runner. She’s currently running across the nation (www.RunFreeRun.com) to raise awareness and support for those who have supported her during her military career.